Furnace.



No. 746,908. PATBNTED DEC. 15,1903. E. YAWGER & W.. W. CHURCHILL.

FURNACE.

` APPLIUATIoN FILED DB0. 3, 1902.

'NO MODEL.

nu: alms mns comuurau'wum wnsmua'mu u c UNrrno. STATES Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT Erice.

EDWIN .YAWGEIL OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WILLIAM W. CHURCHILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THE WESTINGHOUSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBII'RG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OE PENN SYLYANIA.

FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 746,908, dated December 1 5, 1903.

' Application filed December 3, 1.902.v Serial No. 133.609. (No model.)

To CLZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN YAWGER, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,v and WILLIAM W. CHURCHILL, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,l

and exact description thereof, reference-.being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked LAthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates Vto improvements in furnace-gratos for mechanical stokers or de'- vices for continuously feeding fuel to furnacefires of that class embracing an inclined grate consisting of aplurality of transverse rock-V ing grate-bars, which are arranged in stepped and overlapped relation-such, for instance, as that shown in prior United States Letters Patent granted to YVilliam R. Roney on the 20th day of August, 1889, Nos. 409,304 and lt09,305.

The invention relates more specifically to improvements in the actuating devices for rocking or oscillating the bars of such inclined grates to facilitate the feeding of the fuel to the grate.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed' out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a centralverf tical longitudinal section of the front partfof a grate embodying the invention shown'in said prior patents, showing `also the actuating devices for the grate and our improve! ment embodied in said actuating devices. Fig. 2 is a section showing the vouter end of the connecting-rod by which the grate-barsare oscillated or rocked and associated parts, showing in section the parts constituting our invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a face View of one'of the nuts on the 'connecting-rod.

As shown in said drawings, A designates a part of the front Wall of a furnace in connection with which our improvements are einployed.

B designates an inclined grate consisting of a series of transversely-arranged grate-bars B', which have stepped and overlapping relation, said grate-bars having bearing at their `ends in side' bearers O, one of which is shown in Figui of the drawings.

D designates a hopper located exterior to the furnace and at the head of the inclined grate B and from which the fuel is fed to said grate, the fuel passing from said hopper to the grate over the usual dead-plate D.

'E'designates an end wise-reciprocatory actuating bar arranged transversely to the grate-hars, with which each of the individual grate-bars B' is operatively connected and by f .means of which said grate-bars are rocked in their bearings'.

' F designates a connecting rod through which endwise-reciprocatory motion is conl- `municated to the actuating-bar E from agiltating devices located exterior to the furnacefwall. The outer end of said connecting-rod 1F is operatively connected with a continuously-rotating eccentric-shaft G, which is located transversely in front of the furnacewall A and mounted horizontallyin bearings vA', fixed to saidfront Wall of the furnace. The connections between said crank-shaft G and the connecting-rod F are niadeas follows:

G designates 'an eccentric-ring mounted on Esaid shaft, and G2 an eccentric-rbd, the strap g-ofe which encircles the eccentric and the router or free end of which rod is pivotally `connected with the lower end of an agitator lever or arm II, which latter is affixed at its upper end to a rock-shaft I, mounted in depending brackets D2 ou the wall of the hopper. The lower end of said arm or lever H is provided with a rectangular loop h, which encircles the outer end of the connecting-rod F. Within said loop is located a tappetblock H', which is provided with oppositelyextending truunions h', engaging bearingvapertures in the parallel sides of the loop h, these parts being like the corresponding parts shown in the prior United States Letters Patent to Roney et al., No. 586,976, granted July 27, 1897.

Referring now tothe features of construction in which is embodied the present invention, said parts are made as follows: The forward end of the connecting-rod F,which passes through the tappet-block H', is provided at the inner and outer sides of the said block with adjusting-nuts ff', which serve as tappet-shoulders for contact with the end faces of the block H and which block when the lever or arm I-I is oscillated is adapted to act on said shoulders toimpart to the connectingrod and grate-actuating bar an intermittent reciprocatory motion. The connecting-rodi? is screw-threaded at its outer end to receive both of the nuts ff and to enable the said nuts to be moved or shifted endwise on the rod. Such shifting of the nuts is requiredin order to permit the extent of oscillatory movement,as well as the position of the gratebars at one or both limits of such movement, to be changed, as required, in the use of fuel of varying qualities. In order to prevent contact of the tappet-block H with the screwthreaded part of the rod F, a tube f2 is interposed between the nutsff',the exterior cylindric surface of said tube constituting a bearing for said tappet-block H. The tube f2is attached to or made integral with one of the nuts f, said tube being herein shown as screwthreaded at one end and entering a counterbored recess inthe adjacent end of the nutf. The other end of the tube reaches to a point adjacent to the nut f', but is made not longer than the distance between said nuts when they are at a minimum distance apart.

f3 designates a jam-nut which has screwthreaded engagement with the said rod and is located in aconcentric recess f4in the outer end of the nutf. The recess f4 in the nutf is made of sufficient depth to entirely receive the jam nut f3, whereby when theparts have been adjusted on the rod said jam-nut cannot be moved on the rod without first moving the nutsff and interposed tube away from the same. The outer nutf is made exteriorly cylindric, whereby a pipe or like special wrench is required to turn the same on the rod, while the inner nut f3 is provided with an angular perimeter,whereby it may be turned by the use of an ordinary wrench.

VThe rod may be provided outside said jamnut with a through-opening to receive a cotter-pin f5, which extends at its ends beyond the rod and prevents detachment of the nuts and tube from the rod.

In assembling the parts and adjusting the same on the rod the nut f is first threaded on the rod, after which the tube f2 and nutf are placed in position. Thereafter the jamnut is threaded upon the rod and properly located, and the nut f backed outwardly on the rod and tightened against the jam-nut. When the cotter-pin is used, the hole therefor will be located in position to hold the pin in contact with the-jam nut. Instead of using said cotter-pin the thread outside the jam-nut may be spread or mutilated by a center punch, so as to prevent the nuts from being moved outwardly on the rod. The nut-f will be adjusted at a suitable distance from the nutf, according to the extent of rocking movement desired in the grate-bars. Said nut-will not be in contact with the sleeve]E2 except when the parts are adjusted to give a minimum extent of movement to the gratebars. When it is desired to readjust the parts on the rod, the nutf is first run back on the rod, after which the nutf and sleeve are moved inwardly away from the jam-nut f3. The jam-nut may then be turned to the position which it is to occupy in the newlyadjusted position and the nutf turned backwardly tightly against the same, carrying therewith the attached tube. Thereafterthe nutf is turned outwardly into position required for giving the desired movement to the grate-bars. When the parts are adjusted in the manner described, the adjustment of the nutfcannot be changed by the initial movement of either the said nutf or jam-n ut f3 with the use of an ordinary wrench or implement at hand in an engine-room, because of the fact, on the one hand, that the nutf is exteriorly cylindric and requires a special wrench to turn it, and, on the other hand, that the jam-nut is entirely contained in the recess of said nut f and is not accessible. To effect such readjustment, therefore, it is necessary to first release the nutf by means of a pipe-wrench or the like, and after shifting said nut away from the jam-nut to then place the latter in the desired position. The nut f is intended to be turned freely by means of an` ordinary wrench or by hand. To prevent `said nut from beingjarred out of place or from turning on the rod through the jarring of the parts, said nut is made of irregular shape, or, in other words, is weighted at one side of its center, as clearly seen in Ithe drawing Fig. 4.

The advantage of the construction herein shown as compared with the construction of the similar part-s illustrated in the aforesaid prior patent, No. 409,305, will be understood from the following: In the prior construction the nut at the outer end of the rod was so made as to be readily turned by an ordinary wrench found in every engine-room, and it has been observed from practical experience that readjustment of the parts are often attempted by attendants not authorized to do such work and who are ignorant of the requirements of such adjustment, in view of the character of the fuel being used. Such unauthorized tampering with the parts of the grate-actuating devices causes an'uneconomical consumption of fuel and derangement of the fuel-feeding devices, which frequently requires the attention of an expert from the builders of the grate, not so much to properly adjust the devices as to discover that such adjustment is required. In the present construction, however, any harmful tamper` ing with the adjusting devices is not likely IOO IIO

to occur, because of the inaccessibility of the nut f3, which must be moved before any adjustment of the nutfean be made.

It is 4to be noted that the position of the nut f determines the position of the gratebars when their exposed edges,which support the fuel, are tipped downwardly and that the nut f determines the position of the said exposed edges at the limit of iheir upward movement. It is undesirable that the bars should he even tipped 1too far upward, because this movement opens the spaces between the bars and would not only be liable to let the fuel through the said spaces, but by bringing the free edges of the bars into the burning fuel would thereby7 subject them to the liability of being burned orA fused. By fixing the nutfto the rod so that it cannot be movedoutward the downward movezo' ment or tilting of the bars may be limited so as to prevent them from being swung too far or brought into contact with each other,while by making the sleeve the proper length the nutf is prevented from being moved so far out on the rod as to give undue upward movement to thebars. Movement of the nut f' vinward on the rod or away from the sleeve merely lessens the upward movement of the bars, and as this adjustment of the nut can do.

3o no harm said nut is left free to be adjusted by an ordinary wrench or by hand. The operator is therefore free to adjust the movement of the grate-bars in a manner which cannot result in harm and which is the only adj ustment required in the ordinary use of the device, while at the same time he cannot make an;7 unusual, unnecessary, and harmful adjustment. The nut f' is intended to be placed accurately in position when the parts are as- 4o sembled by the maker, and said nut requires uo adjustment except such as occasioned by wear. By the use of the Cotter-pin f5 or other expedient the jam-nut may be held from being moved outwardly under any circumstances, and this is desirable, inasmuch as 5o jected.

the only adjustment ever needed for wear will bean inward adjustment required by reason of the stretching of the rod under the hammering action to which the nutf is sub- If said nutf be adjusted inwardly to take up wear, it will be desirable to mutilate or swell the screw-threads outside of the jam-nut after adjustment, as by a center punch or hammer, so that the operator will be prevented from moving the nutfand attached sleeve at all outwardly or in a directionwhich, by enabling the nut f' to be also moved farther out, would permit the exposed edges of the bars' being thrown too far up and into the mass of fuel resting thereon.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combi nation with rocking grate-bars, and an apertured swinging agitator-lever, of a screw-threaded connecting-rod which passes through the aperture of the lever and provided on each side of the lever with a nut, a sleeve surrounding the rod between said nuts, the outer one of said nuts being exteriorly cylindrie and provided with a'concentric recess, and a jam-nut located in said recess.

2. The combination with rocking grate-bars and an apertured swinging agitator-lever, of connections between said bars and lever embracing a screw threaded connecting rod which passes through the aperture of the lever and is provided on each side the lever with a nut, a sleeve surrounding the rod which is rigid with one of the nuts, the outer end of said nut being externally cylindric, and provided with a counterbored recess, and a'jam-nut located in said recess.

3. The combination with rockin ggrate-bars and an apertured swinging agitator-lever, of connections between said. bars and leverembracing a screw threaded connecting rod which passes through the, aperture of the lever and is provided on each side -of said lever with a nut, a sleeve surrounding said rod between said nuts, the outermost of said nuts being capable of turning on said rod and provided with meaus by which it may be locked thereon, and the innermost of said nuts being loose on the shaft and weighted at one side of its center to hold it from turning.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we affix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of January, A. D. 1903..A

' EDWIN YAWGER.

W. W. CHURCHILL.

Witnesses to Yawger:

JOHN P. YOUNG, I. L. BENNETT.

Witnesses to Churchill:

HARRY L. KENT, H. A. BRINKEREOEE. 

